How to Use facial nerve in a Sentence

facial nerve

noun
  • Even so, the cancer cells in her facial nerve had to have come from someplace.
    — Lisa Sanders, M.d., New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022
  • An incision is made along the ear, avoiding damage to the facial nerve.
    — Adrienne Dellwo, Verywell Health, 15 July 2022
  • Ramsay Hunt affects facial nerves and can even cause hearing loss.
    — CBS News, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Once the blood vessels are joined, Katie’s facial nerve trunks are connected to the donor face, one on each side.
    — National Geographic, 8 May 2014
  • The next step will be to make a high tech analogue that doesn’t involve using a seal’s whiskers, facial nerve endings, and brain.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 13 Aug. 2018
  • The team mapped the delicate facial nerves of both the donor and the recipient to aid with this effort.
    — Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
  • Ramsay Hunt Syndrome is a rare form of shingles that affects the facial nerves.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 26 Oct. 2017
  • The first of her operations, for a tumor in her neck, damaged a facial nerve that changed her smile forever.
    — Lindsay Crouse, BostonGlobe.com, 12 June 2019
  • To reach those two disparate sites, varicella-zoster virus must have traveled specific branches of the facial nerve.
    — Claire Panosian Dunavan, Discover Magazine, 15 Oct. 2012
  • Bell’s palsy—an inflammation that affects the facial nerves—can also sometimes show up and cause your face to get weak or droop on one side.
    — Julia Sullivan, SELF, 6 May 2024
  • The first of her operations, for a tumor in her neck, damaged a facial nerve that permanently changed her smile.
    — Lindsay Crouse, New York Times, 12 June 2019
  • Johns Hopkins Medicine notes the condition can affect anyone of any age and is caused by facial nerve damage.
    — Aaron Rasmussen, Newsweek, 31 Jan. 2025
  • The Mayo Clinic explains that the disease occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one's ear.
    — Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2023
  • The Mayo Clinic explains that the disease occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one's ear.
    — Alexis Jones, Peoplemag, 10 May 2023
  • Alexievich has trigeminal neuralgia, a chronic, painful condition that affects a facial nerve.
    — Masha Gessen, The New Yorker, 9 Sep. 2020
  • That condition may require selective neurolysis, a surgery that attempts to improve the wiring and nerve connections in the facial nerve.
    — Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2022
  • It is believed that Ramsay Hunt occurs when the virus infects the facial nerve near the inner ear, leading to swelling of the nerve and irritation.
    — Maggie O'Neill, SELF, 13 June 2022
  • It can be caused by birth trauma, like when medical professionals use forceps during the delivery and mistakenly crush a facial nerve.
    — Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 2022
  • Secondly, the surgeon needs to understand how the buccal fat pad is associated with the facial nerve and must be meticulous to avoid causing damage.
    — Marci Robin, Allure, 9 Feb. 2022
  • Bell’s palsy, also known as peripheral facial nerve palsy, can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic.
    — Jessica Flores, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2020
  • Delicate structures in the skull, like facial nerves, taste nerves, inner ear and balance organs can't be affected, while bone filings and blood can blurry a microscope during surgery.
    — Laura Yan, Popular Mechanics, 28 Apr. 2018
  • The exact cause is also unknown, but it is believed to be related to inflammation in the facial nerve, potentially due to viral infections.
    — Meredith Wilshere, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
  • Surgeons will ensure this careful incision is in an area that won't impact salivary glands or facial nerves, remove the fat manually, and then close up the incision to allow for healing.
    — Zee Krstic, Good Housekeeping, 11 Apr. 2023
  • Last month, Justin was diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that occurs when a varicella-zoster virus infects a facial nerve.
    — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 7 July 2022
  • According to the Mayo Clinic, Ramsay Hunt syndrome occurs when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near one of your ears.
    — Ebony Williams, ajc, 11 June 2022
  • However, a somewhat common condition known as Bell’s palsy — when the facial nerve becomes inflamed — can be the root of temporary facial paralysis.
    — Karu F. Daniels, New York Daily News, 15 Apr. 2025
  • For the middle ear muscle reflex, the afferent limb is the auditory nerve; the efferent limb is the facial nerve for the stapedius muscle and the trigeminal nerve for the tensor tympani muscle.
    — Christopher Linstrom, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011
  • The reactivation of the zoster virus in the nerves of the face causes paralysis because of the facial nerve that travels from the brain stem behind the ear and into the face to give facial muscles the energy for movement.
    — Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 16 June 2022
  • There are different treatment options for Bell's palsy, including medications to help recover facial nerve function and relieve pain.
    — Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 13 July 2023
  • Earlier this month, Justin told fans he had been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a condition that occurs when a varicella-zoster virus infects a facial nerve.
    — Chelsey Sanchez, Harper's BAZAAR, 22 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'facial nerve.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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